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Advice needed, questioning diabetes.

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Broshi 1

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Hi everyone,
I am hoping to get some advice.
I have had gestational diabetes 3x. The last pregnancy was just over a year ago. On this occasion I was unable to manage my bs with diet alone, and after metformin still wasn't enough to get my levels down, I was introduced to insulin for the last 6 weeks of pregnancy.
I did go for my post 6 week ogtt which came back on the high side but within 'normal limits'.
I have continued the past year to have frequent loo visits (at least once every hour) my mouth gets so dry that I am constantly sucking on ice to keep it moist and I am still bothered by many of the symptoms I had while I had the gd. Including feeling exhausted for the 2 hours after every meal.

I decided to purchase online, some more testing strips to check my blood sugars myself before going to dr.

I am finding my first morning (fasting 12 hrs) to be around the 6.1-6.4 mark, occasionally they may be around 5.
One hour after eating my levels are anywhere between 8.5 but mostly closer to 9.8 with the odd 10 to 12 depending on what I eat.
Two hours after eating they are never lower than 6.9 but most times still sitting over the 8 mark.

I don't eat a great deal of sweet food, or a eat a hugely high carb diet. I am 41. I weigh 8 stone, so not overweight. I admit I don't get time to exercise much because I am running around after 2 babies all day, to be honest, I don't feel that I have the energy to do anything else. I can nearly tell myself, before testing that my levels are high as I feel so rubbish.

I have trawled the internet but find a lot of conflicting advice about what is considered diabetic, pre diabetic or normal.
I would appreciate any advice.
Kind regards. :)
 
Dear Broshi 1,
I read with interest your recent post and checked through my own diabetic notes on Gestational Diabetes and your current pre-diabetic difficulties..

I don't profess to be an expert on diabetes but with you having had GD during each of your 3 pregnancies, as you probably already know, this increases the long term risk to both yourself and your younger children of going on to develop full diabetes in the conventional sense at some later time in all your lives.

From the various B/G figures that you posted it would appear that you are most certainly in the upper part of the pre-diabetic range and this together with your additional symptoms of tiredness, frequent use of the toilet, dehydration and dryness in the mouth leads me to the conclusion that you may the early stages of full diabetes beginning to finally show itself.

B/G test meters do indeed have their use, but in this instant where you are in the pre-diabetic stage it will not show the whole picture. I would suspect that because of your frequent need to use the toilet you may well have a Low Renal Threshold Level which as its name suggests is the point where the kidneys in the body, in order to reduce B/G levels, filters out excess glucose from within the bloodstream into the urine. Not everyone has the same threshold levels and I suspect that you may be someone where your threshold is lower than the usual level.

It is also common for pre-diabetics to have what is commonly refereed to as Insulin Resistance, which amongst other things is something that impedes the take-up of glucose into the cells of the body and frequently results in tiredness, not to mention that fact of also looking after 2 toddlers and a new baby as well can also drain your energy.

I would suggest that you make an appointment to see you GP to discuss you current ongoing problems. There is a very simple urine test that can quickly determine if you happen to be passing glucose in your urine, in the meantime it should help you if you follow a diet that is based on Glycaemic Loads (Not Gi which are somewhat inaccurate) and base any dietary changes on foods and drinks that are generally in the low and medium (preferably LOW) GL ratings which over a period of time will hopefully lower your B/G levels and place less demand on the insulin producing beta cells of your pancreas, and maybe with some luck it might even take you out of the pre-diabetic range altogether.

Whatever you do please don't do nothing.

With my best regards - Lazybones
 
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